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Fitzgerald Memorial tournament pits local against national teams

Dan Fitzgerald, Gonzaga basketball coach on the sidelines. “The Fitz” tournament this weekend at Lewis and Clark High School features national teams against local teams and benefits charity. (The Spokesman-Review / File)
Dan Fitzgerald, Gonzaga basketball coach on the sidelines. “The Fitz” tournament this weekend at Lewis and Clark High School features national teams against local teams and benefits charity. (The Spokesman-Review / File)
From staff and wire reports

The Dan Fitzgerald Memorial Basketball Showcase, “The Fitz,” is a premier high school basketball tournament held in Spokane – hosted by Lewis and Clark High School – to honor the memory of Dan Fitzgerald.

Fitzgerald was a legendary basketball coach at Gonzaga, Santa Clara and Archbishop Mitty High School in California.

This year will be the seventh annual event. The field of eight teams (four boys and four girls) will play in a showcase format with each team playing one game on Friday night and another on Saturday.

The field of national boys teams includes a pair of California teams: Archbishop Mitty from San Jose and San Ramon Valley from Danville. The girls field includes Sheldon, from Eugene, and Eastlake from Sammamish, Washington.

Local boys teams from Ferris and Lewis and Clark, as well as girls teams from Mt. Spokane and Lewis and Clark, round out the field.

Fitzgerald was active, during and after his coaching career, with local charities, including the Spokane Gospel Mission Outreach, Boys and Girls Club of Spokane and local youth sports organizations among others.

He also dedicated countless hours to many local high school and youth coaches to share his strategies on basketball and life.

To keep his legacy of service and commitment alive, the net proceeds of The Fitz Tournament go to charities selected by the Fitzgerald family.

In addition, each student-athlete participant spends volunteer hours at a local charity. This year national boys teams will have an opportunity to serve at the Union Gospel Mission and the girls teams will serve at the Ronald McDonald House.

In addition to service opportunities, cans of food donated as admission at the tournament are delivered to the Second Harvest Food Bank by local team members. To date, The Fitz has raised/collected more than $100,000 and nearly 5,000 pounds of food to benefit charities supported by the Fitzgerald family.

Nonlocal team profiles

Archbishop Mitty boys: Went 18-11 last season in the West Catholic Athletic League. The Monarchs were Central Coast Section Open Division champions and advanced to Nor-Cal Open Division playoffs with a final rank of No. 28 in California. Archbishop Mitty, which also participated in the 2013 Fitz Showcase, is led by senior Riley Grigsby, MaxPreps All Nor-Cal third-team and Mercury News All-Bay Area first-team selection. Aaron Gordon of the Orlando Magic is a noted alum.

San Ramon Valley boys: The Wolves finished 12-14 last season in California’s East Bay League, which features national powerhouse De La Salle.

Sheldon girls: The Fighting Irish went 18-7 last season in Oregon’s 6A Southwest Conference with a final ranking of No. 6 in the state. Sheldon qualified for the state playoffs last season and was eliminated by fourth-place finisher St. Mary’s in the first round. Junior Fallon Hanson and sophomore Aly Mirabile are already being recruited at the collegiate level.

Eastlake girls: Went 19-7 in Washington’s 4A KingCo Conference and lost in the second round of state to Camas with a final ranking of No. 9. The Wolves are led by senior Gina Marxen and 6-foot3 sophomore center Keeli Burton.

Local team profiles

Ferris boys: Finished 19-6 last season, good for second place in the Greater Spokane League. Eliminated by Richland in a 4A regional game. The Saxons return All-GSL first-teamers Mike Ervin and Shamrock Campbell for their senior seasons. Coached by 2016-17 GSL coach of the year Sean Mallon.

Lewis and Clark boys: Went 14-10 and finished fifth in the GSL last season. The Tigers were eliminated in the third round of 4A regional playoffs. Senior Naje Smith, a 6-7 guard, was first-team all-league.

Mt. Spokane girls: Finished 19-6 in the GSL with a first-round loss in the State 3A playoffs last season. David Pratt earned co-coach of the year last season. Guard Aspen Adams earned first-team all-league honors last season, while Miahna Waters was an honorable mention.

Lewis and Clark girls: Finished 14-10, fourth place in the GSL. The Tigers lost in a 4A regional playoff against eventual state team Chiawana. LC is led by all-league guard Jacinta Buckley and honorable mention all-league players Dominique Arquette and Kaylee Bishop.